The Defense Director is responsible for growing and leading a portfolio focused on integrating world-class, space-based capabilities into the Nation's remote sensing and space warfighting architecture. This role serves as a key interface between Umbra and its government customer community, shaping product strategy and roadmap priorities to ensure development, manufacturing, and operational capabilities scale to support U.S. leadership in space.

The position leads the build-out and mentorship of a high-performing team spanning business development, capture, and program management, with a focus on addressing the most critical mission needs of DoD and IC customers. The Director drives strategic campaign development, enforcing disciplined prioritization and alignment across the business, while partnering closely with peer Directors to ensure processes are scalable, compliant, and responsive to evolving customer and regulatory requirements.

Success in this role requires exceptional communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to engage effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders, deliver clear and confident briefings to senior leadership, and cultivate strong, trusted customer partnerships. A deep engagement with Umbra's technologies enables effective customer support, technical oversight, and proactive identification of program risks and challenges.

As pipeline opportunities mature into active captures, the Defense Director leads proposal development and RFI responses, playing a central role in driving organic growth and expanding Umbra's presence within the defense and national security space.

Our aim is to hire this position to work in Umbra's Reston or Arlington, VA office and will require the ability to work in a SCIF part-time.

Key Responsibilities

• Growth and Strategy: Develop compelling strategies to position Umbra to support the US' space-based defense priorities. Communicate the voice of the customer to Umbra product architects, and advocate for manufacturing, operations, and technology development scale.
• Profit and Loss Management and Program Execution: Have full accountability for successful execution (cost, schedule, technical) of multiple current contracts, either directly or through subordinate program managers. Update monthly financial actuals and forecasts. Ensure initiatives within portfolio are executing to plan. Provide accurate revenue and cost forecasting and reporting across portfolio. Execute program lifecycle from shaping through contract closeout.
• Processes: Contribute to the development of Umbra's Program Excellence Framework, a set of documented processes for program start-up, execution, and close-out. Leverage lessons learned and experience from prior programs, but tailored to how Umbra does business, to define lightweight processes for functions such as financial management, risk management, contractual deliveries, and monitoring performance. Also contribute to the development and documentation of Umbra's Capture Center of Excellence, focused on processes that result in a winning proposal (from bid decision gate through commitment review).
• All other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Active TS//SCI security clearance.
• 10-15+ years of professional experience working in program management, supporting USG contracts or the aerospace and defense domain.
• Extensive experience working with Department of Defense customers.
• Experienced leader able to build a plan, build a team, and execute with clear ownership and minimal oversight.
• Direct experience with space industry program planning and execution.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Able to travel CONUS up to 25% of time.

Desired Qualifications

• Proven ability to successfully provide profit and loss management to portfolio, including forecasting as well as resource and cost management, resulting in successfully meeting financial objectives.
• Proven ability to manage technical development and/or R&D scope and technical teams.
• Comfortable working in a dynamic and fast-paced development environment.
• Continuous learner that is not afraid to lead through uncertainty, take chances and learn from his/her mistakes.
• Consistently takes initiative and champions causes that need to be addressed.
• Demonstrated emotional intelligence to interact and empathize with staff, colleagues, cross-functional teams, and customers.
• Experience with remote sensing satellite development and mission operations, including SAR and RF space payloads and their associated ground systems.
• Familiarity with Agile product development and technology lifecycle processes, including leadership experience working within SAFe, PMI, or similarly rigorous organizational frameworks.
• Experience working with business development on large USG captures and supporting and/or leading proposals.
• Understanding of systems engineering processes and system architectures.
• Experience working with a diverse set of U.S. Government DoD, IC and Civil customers.

Benefits

• Flexible Time Off, Sick, Family & Medical Leave
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, LTD, STD (employer funded)
• Vol Life, Critical Illness, Accidental, Hospital Indemnity, Pet Insurance (employee funded)
• 401k with 3% non-elective company contribution
• Stock Options
• Free parking
• Free lunch in office daily

Compensation Range

The Compensation Range for this role is $230,000 - $270,000 DOE.